FROM virtually nowhere, September football is back on the agenda for North Melbourne.

Not that Rhyce Shaw wants to hear anything about the 'F-Word'.

North Melbourne improved to 3-1 under Shaw with a comprehensive 44-point victory over Collingwood on Saturday night, closing the gap on the top eight to just a single game.

But despite the club's impressive turnaround over the last month, Shaw won't let finals footy return to the radar of those at Arden Street just yet, saying it still isn't on the cards.

"Not at all," Shaw said.

"It sounds clichéd, but I actually just worry about the next challenge and this was a huge challenge for us, playing against Collingwood on a fast deck against a quality midfield.

"That's enough challenge for me to worry about. That's all I'm thinking about."

ROOS ROAST THE PIES Full match coverage and stats

North Melbourne dominated Collingwood in virtually every facet of the contest at Marvel Stadium, overwhelming its highly fancied rivals from the outset.

The Kangaroos had 14 more scoring shots, 29 more inside 50s and won both the clearance and contested possession count on their way to Shaw's most satisfying result yet.

WATCH Rhyce Shaw's full post-match media conference

"I couldn't be prouder of those guys," Shaw said.

"It was a really complete performance in a number of aspects, but the pressure was really relentless. I was really proud of the way they went about it and how they continued to do it.

"It wasn't just for the first quarter … we actually went harder and harder each quarter."

North Melbourne has been heavily linked to veteran Sydney coach John Longmire this week, though Shaw's name is bound to get more attention after yet another impressive victory.

And the caretaker coach didn't hide his long-term desire to take over the reins full-time.

WATCH Ruthless Kangas cause carnage on bruised Pies

"I would love to coach this football team," Shaw said.

"But that's a long way down the road. I'm just trying to get through to Monday.

"I'm by no means perfect, but I'm learning each day. Every day is a new challenge and something will be thrown up that I won't know how to deal with.

"But I've got a lot of support around me at the moment. Cameron Joyce and the other coaches have been fantastic in allowing me to coach the team. That's all I can do really."